WLA ScLD

 As winter break approached in 2020, I was, like many of you, tired. I was tired of teaching in Zoom. I was tired of not being able to get books into the hands of ALL students, and was frustrated by the fact that many students who needed access to books the most were not getting them. I was tired of working either from my temporary home office or from what felt like a cavernous, empty school. What I--what EVERYONE--needed, was something to keep our spirits up.  Something to unite our school community, to brighten the cold, dark days, and to make the slog to spring seem shorter. And that's when I got an idea.  This is almost always dangerous. . . What if I did a reading challenge?  What if it focused on stamina and FINISHING books (a problem I recognized, particularly in my 3-5th grade students)?  And what if it culminated in something that would get the entire school community talking? After consulting with some classroom teachers and library colleagues, I lande...

Welcome to the Washington Library Associations School Library Division's brand new blog!  We hope to use this site to share information, to promote opportunities for networking and professional growth, and  to highlight the fantastic work being done every day across the state. We are all working during an incredible and challenging time.  With students and families at the center of our school library services, Washington State Teacher Librarians are focused on continuing to provide safe and healthy library and information literacy services.  Working collaboratively with our school communities, district leadership, and following state guidelines, we continue to provide critical services that are integral to the educational, social/emotional, and mental health of our students. As we move through the challenges of the 2020-21 school year, our school libraries and librarians are now, more than ever, vital to the educational experience of every student in Washington ...